


The worst idea ever

by divenire



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: And Derek can't get Stiles to understand he likes it so he makes one in response, M/M, Music, Stiles can't figure out how to say "I like you" so he makes Derek a mix cd, valentines day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-13
Updated: 2013-02-13
Packaged: 2017-11-29 02:51:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,118
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/681882
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/divenire/pseuds/divenire
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Stiles is sure that giving Derek a mix cd of songs that more or less say "Hey, I'm in love with you" is a bad idea, but then he figures he's due for a massively bad idea.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The worst idea ever

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Dorky Heart Music](https://archiveofourown.org/works/681438) by [tryslora](https://archiveofourown.org/users/tryslora/pseuds/tryslora). 



> I wrote this for the [ Sterek Valentines Fest!](http://stiles-derek.livejournal.com/391492.html?view=988484#t990020) on LJ.

This is quite possibly the worst idea in the history of all bad ideas ever. Stiles is sure of it. Okay, maybe there’s one worse decision he’s ever made and that would be the time he decided to drag Scott into the woods in the middle of the night to check out a dead body. And everyone knows how well that worked out. 

But it’s been years since then and he figures he’s about due for another massively stupid decision that will inevitably ruin everything.

So now, on valentine’s day, he’s waiting outside the college for Derek to come pick him up (because he called and said his Jeep had died, again) and he’s going to leave behind a ridiculous mix tape full of romantic songs rather than you know, say something, because for all of his words and all the time he spends talking, which is most of the time or all of it depending on who you ask, he’s absolutely awful at getting the actual point across when it comes to something like this. 

This being that over the past few years, after battling so many werewolves and monsters and whatever the hell else together, he’s sort of... kind of... maybe a little bit... kinda in love. With Derek. Of all people. 

So he’s spent the last several weeks putting together what is probably the worst mix ever. He’s not good at this in any way, shape or form. Even trying to express his thoughts through music is near impossible. He’s spent hours worrying about this song or that song and what Derek will think of it. He’s scrapped the whole thing twice, gotten really, really angry about it both times and then started over. 

A few of his favorite choices are “I Love You (I Always Have)” by Mikky Ekko because it’s probably the sweetest song he’s ever heard (and sometimes he’s romantic okay), “Lovers In A Dangerous Time” by The Barenaked Ladies because, with the exception of the fact that Derek probably doesn’t like him, it’s pretty much the story of their lives and “Easy Silence” by The Dixie Chicks (yes, he listens to the Dixie Chicks sometimes) because even if Derek doesn’t like him, he still appreciates the fact that Derek is the only person other than Scott that he can just sit and be quiet with. 

The rest of the songs he’s not so sure about. But now Derek is pulling up to the curb, glaring out the windshield and looking more grumpy than usual and Stiles has to use the mix he’s got. It’s now or never. 

In a way that is probably less than perfectly casual, he walks over to the car and slides into the passenger seat. 

It’s about a minute before Derek says, “You really need to get a new car.”

Stiles scoffs, “With what money?” Also, he thinks, if I had a new car, this wouldn’t really work would it? Besides that, the actual truth is the Jeep is fine. He just needed an opportunity to get Derek alone. And now that he has him alone, neither of them is saying anything. Derek keeps scowling out at the road like the road has personally offended him and usually, Stiles would ask him about whatever has his so bothered, but today, he’s a little too nervous. And it’s starting to feel like the mix cd is burning a hole in his hoodie pocket. 

Derek drives all the way to Stiles’ house without saying anything else and Stiles’ makes a point of not fidgeting, not letting his hands flip all over the place and not saying anything because if he says anything it’ll probably be something like “Hey, so I like you,” and that’s probably a bad idea. 

This whole thing is probably, as he’s thought at least a million times by now, a really bad idea. Even so, when Derek stops the car Stiles carefully slips the disc from his pocket and leaves it on the seat. “So, I’ll see you later?” he says as he gets out of the car. Derek nods. “Yeah.” 

Stiles is about halfway to the door when Derek calls out, “You left something in my car.” 

Stiles freezes for a split second then calls out, “Uh, no, um, that’s um, for you.”

“What?” 

Stiles spins around, frustrated that his plan has so obviously failed. “Just listen to it!” He runs to the house and darts inside before Derek has the chance to say anything else. 

\+ 

The next time Stiles sees Derek is almost a week later when he, Lydia, Scott and Isaac are over at Derek’s place to watch movies. Scott is there, as usual, under protest, but he goes because he always does because Stiles and Isaac always convince him to. Somehow, Stiles has convinced Lydia into showing up, though he isn’t sure how exactly that worked out.

Derek spends most of the night ignoring Stiles and sitting on the opposite side of the room but about halfway through the second movie they run out of popcorn so Stiles gets up and goes to the kitchen to make more. 

Once in the kitchen, he lets himself have the little freakout he’s been ignoring all night. Derek hasn’t spoken to him. And it’s not that he hasn’t spoken to anyone. It’s not that he’s in one of those bad moods where all he does is stare at the screen and grunt out one word answers anytime someone speaks to him. No, that’s not it at all. Derek and Isaac had this whole five minute discussion about the best place in town for pizza. And Derek and Lydia argued about the possible meanings behind this new Latin text about werewolves she found online. That means one of two things. Derek never listened to the mix tape at all and the fact that they haven’t spoken all night is just coincidence, or he did listen to it and he didn’t like it and now he doesn’t know how to bring up the very awkward subject of what is apparently unrequited love. 

Then, as was bound to happen, Derek walks into the kitchen. “Did you mean it?” he asks. No greeting, no questions about why there’s no popcorn, no niceties at all. For an instant, Stiles seriously regrets falling for someone who has no sense of being nice or of lying about stuff like this. 

Stiles doesn’t turn around. “No, it was a joke.” 

“Oh,” Derek says quietly. Stiles turns around just in time to see Derek walking away. 

“Of course I meant it! Who makes a romantic mix tape as a joke?” Stiles asks, probably a little louder than necessary. Not that it matters. Isaac and Scott would be able to hear this entire conversation even if it was whispered. 

“Then why did you say - “Derek starts but Stiles cuts him off before he can finish. “Because, in case you haven’t noticed, sarcasm is a thing that I tend to use when I get nervous.” 

“So what you’re saying is I make you nervous?” Derek asks with a so small it’s nearly invisible smirk on his face. 

“You make everyone nervous.”

“This - this is getting off track. Not that I’m surprised,” says Derek. 

“Right. Back to the whole you letting me down thing. Let’s just get that over with.” 

“Letting you? What?” Derek scowls. “There’s something wrong with you, you know that?”

“You somehow think I don’t know that? Really?” 

From the living room, Lydia shouts, “What’s the hold up on the popcorn, Stilinski?” Scott and Isaac laugh and immediately refuse to explain to Lydia why they’re laughing. 

Derek looks like he’s about to say something, looks like he’s killing millions of brain cells just trying to think of something, but he says nothing, so Stiles turns around and puts the popcorn in the microwave. He watches the microwave like it contains the secrets to the universe and Derek leaves sometime before the popcorn is completely finished. 

They spend the rest of the night not talking, sitting on opposite ends of the room and avoiding all eye contact. 

\+ 

Two days later, Stiles finds a cd in his mailbox labelled ‘To: Stiles From: Derek’ and under that it says ‘You’re an idiot.’

Stiles can’t help but laugh when he sees it. Who else would give him a mix as a response?  
If he wasn’t sure this was somehow the musical equivalent to a break-up (even though they’ve never actually dated) he would think they’re perfect for each other.

He moves at near werewolf speed to get upstairs and put the cd into his laptop. The playlist on the cd is fairly short, only five songs. 

And the mix is... not what he expected. It’s the opposite of a break-up mix. 

The first song is “Robot Heart” by Hawksley Workman which is kind of sad in a beautiful sort of way and fitting on a level songs just shouldn’t be.

The second is “Needs” by Collective Soul, which is really confusing with talk of “not needing anybody” until the last lines of “all I need is you” which is kind of ridiculously sweet. The third song is “Faster Car” by Keith Urban, and that’s... a song he has trouble picturing Derek listening to, but upbeat tempo aside, it’s pretty much true. 

And that’s when it hits him - he really is an idiot. Every time he calls, Derek shows up whether it’s just to drive him home after the Jeep has broken down again or rescuing him from angry water sprites. And it isn’t just a recent thing, either. This has been going on more or less since they met. Derek has always been saving him, rescuing him, helping him. And he’s done the same for Derek, even back when he found Derek actually terrifying.

And that means something, doesn’t it?

The next song starts before he’s really wrapped his head around it.

That means something. 

He plays the playlist about six times over before he grabs his phone and texts Derek. 

“So I guess we should go on a date then, huh?” 

Five seconds later, Derek texts back, “I think we’re a little past that, don’t you?” 

Stiles: ...But I’m hungry.

Derek: What?

Stiles: Usually a first date involves food and I’m hungry. 

Derek: ....

Derek: You mean you want to go out now?

Stiles: Yes, right now. Unless of course you wanted to drag this out for another year or two. 

Derek: Now is fine. 

Derek: FINALLY. 

Stiles: What?

Derek: Isaac stole my phone. He says “You look happy. It scares me.”

Stiles: You’re always scary. 

Derek: I’ll be over to pick you up in twenty minutes. 

Stiles: ...

Stiles: Good to know this whole ‘dating’ thing isn’t going to change the way you behave. That would be awful. 

Derek: I’m leaving now.

Stiles: This conversation?

Derek: My house. 

Stiles: Oh. Right. 

Stiles puts down his phone after that in an attempt to avoid saying anything more awkward. 

In the twenty minutes before Derek shows up, he considers changing his clothes about four times but doesn’t - he doesn’t want to seem overeager. So instead he brushes his teeth three separate times, puts on deodorant twice and sprays himself with a little cologne. He then changes his shirt because he figures it will smell too strongly of cologne. And then he can’t pick a shirt. Not that any of his shirts are particularly spectacular, they’re just t-shirts. 

After about five minutes of debating over shirts, he looks out the window to see the Camaro pulling up out front. He unceremoniously grabs a gray t-shirt and yanks it on over his head then crashes down the stairs and opens the front door just as Derek raises his hand to knock. Derek smiles and Stiles can’t help but think that Isaac is completely wrong - Derek is ridiculously attractive when he smiles, when he’s happy, he’s even more ridiculously attractive than usual. 

“Hi,” Stiles says and he’s nervous, so his voice comes out unintentionally high pitched. 

Derek clears his throat and swallows. “Hey.” 

“So...” Stiles says aimlessly and points at the camaro. 

“Right,” Derek says. 

Stiles turns, starts walking towards the car and exactly three-point-five seconds later, starts falling forward, tripping over his own shoelaces. His face is inches from the ground when Derek grabs his hand and jerks him back so he’s standing. 

A few seconds pass and Derek’s hand is still on his wrist and they both sort of start staring at it. Derek is about to remove his hand when Stiles smashes his other hand down on top of Derek’s. “Don’t,” he says. Then he smiles and leads Derek back into the house.

They don’t make it to dinner.

**Author's Note:**

> If you're interested, I'm [itsnoteasybeinggreenberg](http://itsnoteasybeinggreenberg.tumblr.com/) on tumblr.
> 
>  
> 
> Stiles Playlist: 
> 
> 1\. Baby I Love You - Aretha Franklin
> 
> 2\. I Love You (I Always Have) - Mikky Ekko 
> 
> 3\. Lullaby - Felix Cartal feat. Natalie Anguili
> 
> 4\. Lovers In A Dangerous Time - Barenaked Ladies 
> 
> 5\. Anyone Else But You - The Mouldy Peaches 
> 
> 6\. I’m Sticking With You - The Velvet Underground 
> 
> 7\. Easy Silence - Dixie Chicks
> 
> 8\. Forever Love - Anna Nalick 
> 
> 9\. Better Together - Jack Johnson 
> 
> 10\. I Am In Love With You - Imogen Heap
> 
>  
> 
> Derek’s Playlist:
> 
> 1\. Robot Heart - Hawksley Workman
> 
> 2\. Needs - Collective Soul 
> 
> 3\. Faster Car - Keith Urban 
> 
> 4\. Howlin’ For You - The Black Keys 
> 
> 5\. No One Knows - Queens Of The Stone Age


End file.
